The present invention relates generally to displaying digital images and more particularly to reviewing and navigating among images using a thumbnail position memory bar.
Digital cameras are utilized for taking pictures of scenes and the like. Some digital cameras include a display screen to display images after the picture has been taken. Digital cameras which include a display screen oftentimes have the ability to display captured images in different display formats. For example, a digital camera may display a format of one image, a format of four images, and a format of nine images at the same time. Each of the display formats includes a plurality of pages where a page is the number of images on a display at one time (in this case 1, 4 or 9 images). In such a camera there is also the ability to navigate from one image or thumbnail to another or from one page of images of the display format to another page of images within that display format. There is oftentimes the ability in such digital cameras to move between display formats via a mode button. What is meant by this, for example, is that it is possible through such a mode button to move between a display format of a single image to a display format of four images to a display format of nine images. With conventional digital cameras, reviewing and navigating within a plurality of images via a particular display format (i.e. 1, 4 and 9) often has its disadvantages.
One disadvantage is that navigating between images and between the pages of images in conventional digital cameras via the mode button is complex and unnatural. In some situations, these types of cameras also require the input of a large number of keystrokes in order to view a selected image.
To more particularly describe some of the problems with previous displays in digital cameras, such as the display in a Casio QV10 camera, refer now to the following discussion in conjunction with FIG. 1. FIG. 1 shows a conventional digital camera display which includes a zoom button 3, a display button 5, a mode button 7, and a forward-reverse button 9. In such a camera the display button 5 allows one to switch between page and image mode to look at a particular image (Image A). The zoom button 3 allows one to proceed from a small image to a full size of a selected image, the mode button allows one to select different display formats and the forward-reverse button 9 allows one to go from one image to an earlier image or a later image or earlier or later page.
FIG. 2 shows, the interaction between the different buttons to allow for the display of images in different formats. Initially, if in the display format one mode or one image per display, the forward and reverse button would allow one to go forward one image or back one image (block 11). If the mode button is pressed one time, then, for example, four images, A, B, C and D are each displayed (block 13). The forward and reverse buttons now provide for one page of four forward, one page of four back. If the mode button is pressed again, nine images are displayed (block 15) (A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I). The forward and reverse buttons now provide for one page of nine forward, one page of nine back. To go back to the first mode, the zoom button would be pressed to go back to image A as shown in block 23 only if the display button is pressed first. Otherwise the mode button is pressed. If the display of a particular image is desired, the display button would be pressed. Initially, an indication of a selected image is provided via underlining shown in blocks 13 and 17 (in this case A). The forward-reverse buttons are used to proceed to the next image within the display format highlighted by the underline. If, for example, a user wanted to display a selected image from the nine mode, then the zoom button would be pressed and the single image would be displayed.
However, as is seen, there is a complex interaction of zoom, display mode and forward-reverse to provide the appropriate images. This approach is not natural and requires many keystrokes in certain applications.
To more clearly illustrate this, referring now to FIG. 3A, what is shown is the selection of a fourteenth image from an image capture unit using the elements as described above. First, if the mode button would be pressed twice, as shown, to proceed to the mode where there are nine images being displayed at one time. Then the forward button is pressed to proceed to the next page. Then the display must be pressed. Then the forward button is then pressed four times to select the fourteenth image. Finally, the zoom button is pressed so that the desired image is now displayed. As is seen, this process requires nine keystrokes.
FIG. 3B shows the selection of the twenty-sixth image of the display proceeding from the fourteenth image. To select the twenty-sixth image, first the mode button must be pressed to return to the four mode. As is seen, image (N) 14 is now in a first position in top row rather than its original middle position of the second row. The mode button is then pressed again. Next, the plus button is pressed to proceed to the page that has the twenty-sixth (Z) image. The display button is pressed to underline the first image of the page (image twenty-three). The plus button is then pressed three additional times to select the twenty-sixth image. Thereafter, the zoom button is pressed to display the image. As is seen, eight additional keystrokes are required to proceed to display the twenty-sixth image. This can become time consuming and tedious for a user of the image capture device. In addition the process for obtaining a particular image is not a natural one and requires learning a particular protocol.
Accordingly, the conventional systems not only require more keystrokes, they are also less natural because different buttons have different functions dependent upon where a user is within the process.
Another problem with conventional digital cameras is that although the user may choose a particular display format for image review and navigation, the user is not provided with any feedback as to the location of a currently displayed page in relation to other pages during navigation. For example, assume that the user wishes to find a particular image but cannot remember if the image is located near the front or the back of all the images stored on the camera. Given a displayed page, the user would have no clue as to which direction to scroll in order to find the desired image. The user would therefore be forced to take a best guess at which direction to scroll, which could waste a considerable amount of time in the case where there are hundreds of images stored on the camera. One possible solution to this problem is to provide the digital camera with a memory bar 276.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a conventional digital camera memory bar 50, which is displayed while the user navigates among images 60 in the digital camera. The length of the memory bar 50 typically represents the total memory capacity of the digital camera. A shaded area 52 within the memory bar 50 typically represents the total number of stored images in the camera in relation to the total memory capacity. As the user scrolls through the images 60, a needle 54 slides along the shaded area 52 of the memory bar 50 to show the approximate location of the displayed images in relation to the total number of images stored in the camera.
Although displaying the memory bar 50 provides the user with some image location feedback, the memory bar 50 has drawbacks. One drawback is that the memory bar 50 is only capable of providing a vague, inaccurate indication of image location. As the number of stored images increases, the less the needle 54 will move across the display, further reducing the effectiveness of the memory bar 50 as a location indication. Another drawback is that the memory bar 50 may be marginally effective at providing location feedback when scrolling through individual images, as shown, but the memory bar 50 is ill suited for providing feedback for page navigation. Unfortunately, when large numbers of images are present on the camera, page navigation is the method of choice to speed review and navigation of the images.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved method of displaying images on portable imaging devices, such as digital cameras, that allows a user to expeditiously review stored images in differently display formats, while at the same time provide an accurate indication of both image location and page location in a straightforward manner. For example, after taking several pictures it would be useful to identify a particular picture quickly and with the minimum of effort. It is also important to provide a more efficient way to quickly navigate through pages of images and to tell the location of a current image on a displayed page and the location of the page in relation to other pages in the camera. The system should be implementable in a simple and cost effective fashion and should be easily handled by a user. The present invention addresses such a need.
The present invention provides a method for reviewing and navigating among stored images on an image capture unit having a display, wherein each of the stored images is represented by a thumbnail image. The method begins by displaying a page of thumbnail images on a display in which when the page is full of thumbnails, all the thumbnails are arranged in an Nxc3x97M array. A memory bar is displayed adjacent to the page on the display, wherein the memory bar indicates a position of the displayed page in relation to the other pages of stored images. The user may navigate among the thumbnail images in the displayed page via the up, down, right and left buttons, where a highlight area indicates a location of a currently selected thumbnail. The user may also navigate from the displayed page to other pages via up, down, right and left buttons, wherein the displayed page is replaced with a second page. In response, the memory bar is updated to indicate a position of the second page in relation to the other pages.
According to the present invention, the user is provided with the ability to navigate through a number of pages within a display format in a quick and intuitive manner, while at the same time know the exact thumbnail location as well as the page location in relation to other pages.